Military families enjoy free day at Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo

11:49 AM,
Jul. 8, 2013

Jose Emilio Villar, his wife Masbel, and his son Emilio, look at a hippopotamus at Dickerson Park Zoo on Sunday. Jose Villar is in the Army. Active military personnel and their families got into the zoo free on Sunday.

Written by

Cliff Sain
CSAIN@NEWS-LEADER.COM

Emilio Villar, 11, said his favorite part of Dickerson Park Zoo is the snake house.

"My mom is afraid of snakes, so she kept screaming," he said.

Emilio and his family made their first visit to the zoo on Sunday in large part because it was Military Appreciation Day at the zoo. They got in free because Emilio's father, Jose Emilio Villar, is an active member of the military. Villar is in the Army, stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. ...